Hail Stick

A hailstick is a thin, long and hollow tube filled with hard matter. It has small pins or thorns arranged helically through its inner surface for structure and noisemaking.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Percussion

A musician upends the stick vertically and lets the pebbles slide to the bottom, bouncing off the internal protrusions, then turn the stick to rattle towards the new end; creating calming rain-like tones.

Manufacturing process

1. Cacti are hollowed and dried in the sun.
2. The spines are removed, then driven into the cactus like nails.
3. Pebbles or other small objects are placed inside, and the ends are sealed.
4. The stick is bound with string to both serve as decoration and as a surface to grip.
5. A sound like falling water is made when the rainstick has its direction changed to a vertical position.

Significance

Snake Dance

A man-woman dance ritual performed by the Sinklings and Step Folk meant to distract the rainbow serpent from a day's misdeeds.
When the stick is beaten in rhythm, it produces the sound of an encompassing rainstorm or hail. The percussions combined with the serpent lights under the frozen sky, and a live snake, makes for a surreal sight.

Alternate Name
Rainstick

Item type

Musical Instrument

Current Location

Bad Step

Manufacturer

Long Step

Related ethnicities

• Elkin
• Misty Mountain Men
• Mountain Cloud Tribes

Owning Organization

Serpentism

Rarity

Common

Weight

3.2 - 11 oz

Dimensions

10 - 20 in

Base Price

5 cocoa beans

Raw materials & Components

Cactus or Wood or Grass

Pebbles or Ice or Seeds

Glue (optional)

Tools

Needles or Thorns

String

Hammer

Paint